Welcome to Holiday Inn, Goa

It was with a tear (or maybe just the ever present dirt) in our eye that we left Arambol last Saturday for Benaulim Beach. Three state buses south and we are here...in the town that is home to the only Holiday Inn 5 * resort in the state. Over-the-hill and bloated holiday makers everywhere just in on some direct charter flight. Could be more of a nightmare if they didn't conveniently keep themselves fenced in to their "all inclusive" compound. "This is fantastic. It's like India without all those Indians," i can imagine them saying as they lay near the beach with security guards close enough to shoe away any of the natives that might approach. Of course, meeting locals along the way is a huge part of the experience for us. You do become a bit weary of the constant "please mister, you look, you buy" but you can't be so jaded that you miss the chance for some good conversation. Like Menino, the proprieter of the general store hidden behind some banyon trees. After selling us a cold drink and some biscuits he invited to the next room (his home) to meet his family and chill for a minute out of the heat. He told us of his plans to visit america for a christian conference in tulsa, ok (Goa is still largely roman catholic due to the lasting portuguese influence). Unfortunatlly, our homeland security run immigration department thought him an unfit visitor. What a shame....and a sham...no return of application fee, quite an investment for him. He made me crack up though when he mentioned his love of Benny Hin from orlando fl...the white silk suit wearing "faith healer" that makes a tv show each week of "healing" the (mentaly) weak by knocking them backwards with the spirit. "Beeneey Hin veddy powerfull man...veddy powerful man," he kept repeating. A Goan classic we met the other day was Shiba, a funny little man with glasses and goatee that rides around on a bike seeling postcards. "Excuse me sir, and what is your good name?" (ok what's he seeling?) "Tee. Thomas." i say. "And what great country is missing you right now?" he inquires further. "America. California," i say. "AAHHH! Cali!" he exclaims. He then asks Radka's name and she answers. Then, to our amazement, he responds, "AHHH! A name from the Czech Republic!" See...normally when we go through introductions around here the name Radka and Ceska Republika are usualy met with blank stares. This guy apparently knows some things. We sit and talk with him for a while, marveling at the number and variety of subjects he would pontificate upon. He was very worldly with still a dash of optimistic naivity. "Do you have any change from your country? I would like to visit them all and i am starting by saving change from every country!" Shiba also had some interesting ideas on politics....or more accuratly, destabilizing the u.s. "Why don't they make fifty small countries. Then there is not one enemy anymore." Or even better,"The US funds guerilla wars in other countries. Why can't some country fund some guerillas within the US!" If Shiba ever saves enough change to apply for a us visa, he'll probably be waved straight through ; )
We leave here for the ancient remains of Vijayanager (now the village called Hampi)by train tomorrow morning. Off the coast and into Kartnataka!